Eternal Bonds
by Jasmin Kaiba
Summary: War, duty and family in between. Some ties and bonds were never meant to be broken. No matter what obstacle life threw on his way, his ninja ways always led him back to one path, back to her. But what happens when death decides to become a hindrance? R
1. Prelude

**Eternal Bonds**

**by Jasmin Kaiba

* * *

**

_Prelude

* * *

_

Night had fallen deeply over the roofs of Konoha as the most known couple in the Hidden Village made their way through the streets. Konoha Hospital was deeply in the village, close to the Hokage tower, surrounded by the inner training grounds, ANBU headquarters and the Academy, providing the most protection for the most important buildings in the village. Unfortunately that mean that those two buildings were the whole village away from the Uchiha compounds and the highly pregnant, grouchy Uchiha matriarch was forced to walk for an hour for her check ups and then back again. That also meant that the patriarch wasn't allowed to stay behind when he was home.

Currently they were walking back home, holding hands and bickering, like usual. Sakura was grouchy, like usual. She's spent the day at the hospital, after her early morning check up; she was forced to fill up for the Hokage who was too busy coordinating teams on emergency missions. In the middle of Sakura's check up, the emergency light had gone on, signaling to the medics that a group of highly injured shinobi had been admitted. Sakura had not stayed idly behind as the medics filled in the emergency room and found Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee, Hyuuga Hinata and Nara Shikamaru being rolled in, every single one of them on the verge of death from a mission gone horribly wrong.

She wasn't allowed to heal, using chakra in her condition could be fatal for her and the baby, but that didn't keep her from overseeing the healing procedures and making sure that her friends' lives were secure. Sasuke was irritated that she wasn't keeping to Tsunade's order to rest, rest, rest, but his wife had other ideas, especially when the danger state in the village was a glaring, bright red.

Shikamaru had woken up during the healing procedure and Sakura had taken it upon herself to interrogate the strategy master. He had revealed that on their way back from a scouting mission, they had been attacked by a five men team from the Lightening Country. At first it had looked good for them, but than one of the attackers had used a unknown ninjutsu and made short process of both Neji and Hinata, another had captured Lee in a genjutsu and beat him to a pulp, Shikamaru was barely standing himself, when a miracle happened and a Suna team on the way to a mission stumbled upon them and with the help of the surprise effect managed to drive of the enemies and saved the four ANBU's lives. Luck had it that the Suna men had a medic on the team and it was through that coincidence that the Konoha team made it back alive and with a chance of surviving.

Sasuke was busy in ANBU HQ, forming teams, going to the Hokage and back again, giving out missions for each team, naming leaders and sending out a team each hour and making sure that each team had at least one shinobi that can summon animals that were meant for communication. Every shinobi had a mission assigned and those out of the village were ordered immediately back through messenger hawks. Village safety was a priority and other missions were abandoned in order to secure their home.

By midnight four ANBU, twelve jounin and seven chuunin teams with five men and a medic on each were sent out, in search for the enemy ninja that had attacked them. The remaining ninja have taken posts around the village borders and all over the village, the hospital and the Hokage tower had triple security, each roof was secured by a ninja, no opening was left out. The Kazekage had, upon finding out from the team that saved the Konoha ANBU what happened, sent two ANBU squads, three jounin, five chuunin and three medic teams to aid their allies. Both villages were going for the worst possibility, and that spelled WAR in big, bold letters.

One AM meant also that everything that could have been done for the four ANBU had been done and that it was time to go home and get some sleep, before the morning came and the Hokage knew for sure if they should be readying for war with Kumogakure or not.

The Uchihas were just entering the district and still bickering as they saw Konohamaru on one of the roofs. They didn't the kid much attention, but he couldn't help listening in to their conversation.

"Sasuke, we were sixteen!" Run Uchiha Sakura's voice through the sill empty streets of the district as she let go of her husband's hand and sighed in frustration.

Sasuke, of course, sought to defend himself with a good argument, "It wasn't that long ago. And it doesn't mean it changed."

Sakura, though, wasn't happy, and that showed. "Sasuke, for the last time, it was TEN years and FIVE kids ago, okay? That is a long time. I'm not saying that I think anything changed; I'm just saying that I'd like to hear it, from time to time. Is that really asking too much?"

Sasuke sighed and shoved his hand in his pockets. "No, it's not too much too ask... I know I'm not exactly the most perfect husband in the world, but that's who I am, please try to live with it. Ten years is not too long, it's short, very short; sometimes I wish I've spent more years with you. Five kids and the sixth on the way, Sakura. We can't forget this one." His eyes softened and he laid a hand on his wife's bulging stomach as they stood in front of their house. The third son, one more man to continue the Uchiha line and to bring back the once strongest clan in Konoha. The Uchiha Clan was going to flourish again and it was all thanks to the amazing woman who had agreed to marry him and made him the happiest man alive on the day their first child was born a boy with black hair and eyes, looking almost exactly like his deceased grandfather, the once head of the Clan, Uchiha Fugaku, if not for his mother's nose and his father's ears. Uchiha Sanosuke, the heir, the perfect gift to him from the woman who had proved that her love for him was boundless and pure.

And he smiled as he thought of their other children. Barely two years after Sanosuke, has Sakura given birth to the lights of his life, two small beautiful twin girls with pink hair and black eyes and a mix of their mother and grandmother, Uchiha Mikoto's features. Uchiha Tomoyo and Uchiha Momoko had taught Sasuke what it means to love someone who is totally dependant of you on anything.

Of course he always had had the instinct to protect Sakura, but his wife had proven time and time again that she was well able to take care of herself, with or without him. Sanosuke had awoken the same instinct, but he was a boy, and Sasuke's nature told him to let the boy grow strong and not to cuddle him, and to somehow prevent his mother from cuddling him to death. He wanted a strong son, and at seven Sanosuke showed that Uchiha blood was dominant in him, he's going to become a genin next year and it made his father immensely proud.

The girls were another story. They were through and through Sakura's daughters, with strong independent spirits, always ready for a fight, but Daddy's little Princesses when they wanted to be, they drew him crazy with puppy dog eyes and pouting lips. At five they were master manipulators, be it him or their mother, or the big brother, they had them all wrapped around their little fingers.

After them came another girl, Uchiha Anzu, currently three and a half years old and making her sisters proud with her manipulation skills. With silky midnight blue hued black hair that she got from her father, her mother's green eyes and Uchiha Mikoto's features, she was the prettiest girl of her age in the village and Sakura was so proud of her beautiful, smart little girl who insisted on starting the Academy at four. She was going to be the idol there, Sasuke was sure.

The youngest of the bunch and Sakura's baby, was the second son, Uchiha Shinosuke, with black hair and viridian orbs and his father's nature already at barely year and half age. He was quite and introverted, stayed away from his siblings, preferring his mother's warm embrace to the noise the older Uchihas were constantly making, especially the girls. He was also the only one who didn't say 'boo' when Sasuke and Sakura informed them and they were getting another sibling. Probably because at one he was too young to really understand what that meant. The others, on the other hand, knew exactly that it meant they were going to have to share Mommy and Daddy with another one and that didn't sit well with prideful, and thanks to Sakura, parents oriented Uchiha children.

They were going to come through, Sasuke knew, their children, no matter how head-strong and prideful still respected their parents, and they positively feared Sakura. She was a good mother, loving and gentle, teaching them how to love and showing them what it meant to be loved, but she was still stern with them, discipline was top priority in the Uchiha household and who didn't do as mother said, suffered the consequences. It was that simple and the children knew that mother's word was law.

"I'm not saying I forgot this one Sasuke, and I'm also not saying that ten years was enough time with you. I'm simply trying to make you understand that when you wait for something, day after day, for ten years and it doesn't happen, then it seems such a long time...."

She was sad, and he was at fault. One could try to attribute it to the hormonal change due to the pregnancy, but not when it was about something she's been complaining about for ten years. He could change that, with three simple little words, but those were the hardest words ever. He had no problems telling it to the children, but to her... It was incredibly hard.

She was unlocking the door, as he grabbed her hand and turned her towards him and pressed his forehead to hers. Her viridian orbs gazed deeply in his obsidian ones and he smiled softly at her. After a moment he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"I love you," his voice was soft, almost inaudible, but she heard him, loud and clear. A tear slipped down her face and she smiled caressing his face, "Why?"

He knew she would reply with that question, it was like that ten years ago when he first told her he loved her, and of course she'd get the same answer as before, "Because you're the only one who'd put up with me."

Sakura just grinned and kissed him. "And don't you forget it!"

They were about to enter the house, Sakura giggling quietly as his lips skimmed the neck and tried to hush his own deep chuckling as a soft 'poof' was heard behind them. Sasuke whirled around to face a young shinobi that worked as one of Tsunade-sama's guards.

He and Sakura exchanged a look before they turned their attention to the obviously slightly nervous guard.

"Yes?" Sakura inquired pleasantly, to try and sooth the poor youth's nervousness. How the heck did a shinobi who sweated and blushed, from just standing in the presence of an Uchiha come to the important and honorable job of protecting the Hokage? This question run through the Uchiha couple's minds as the younger man tried to capture his run-away composure and not make a bigger idiot out of himself.

"Uchiha-sama," he could be addressing either one, because his gaze was glued to the floor, "Hokage-sama has requested your presence in an emergency meeting of village heads in ten minutes. War seems inevitable and Lady Hokage seeks to establish a good structured village security system and make a defense battle plan."

Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other again. Tsunade could be asking for either of them, or both of them, for all they knew. Sasuke was one of eight ANBU captains, and the Head of the Uchiha Clan, he and Hokage-sama have been making plans for re-establishing the Konoha Military Police Force that had once been run by his Clan. Sakura was also one of the ANBU captains, although she was the captain of the medical squad that did not belong to the eight attack and defense squads, she was on leave, but the squad was still under her command, she was also the chief-doctor of the Konoha Hospital and as the wife of a Clan Head also belonged to the Village Council. So which one was being asked for?

Sasuke sighed and cleared his throat, "Who is it that Tsunade-sama wants to talk to? Me or my wife?"

The young chunnin blushed again, but raised his head, "Uh... Um... You, S—Sasuke-sama. A medic ANBU will come later to Sakura-sama to get her commands and to inform her of the decisions made at the meeting. Hokage-sama doesn't want Sakura-sama to exhaust herself in her condition..." He trailed of and blushed harder as Sakura shot him an irritated look. And medic ANBU? Where did that boy get THAT name from? It was usually the other way around, ANBU medic, but he was probably so nervous that he wasn't thinking quite straight, so she let it slide. Really, talk about incompetent teenagers.

But she didn't have the time to be upset about teenage incompetence; she had other things to worry about. A glance at her husband revealed his tense posture and the grim expression around his lips. They'd all been hoping to evade war, they'd hoped that it had been a group of missing nin, rather than a team sent out especially to kill honorable Konoha shinobi. But reality was a bitch, that proved herself hateful over and over again, till the people finally stopped wishing on stars and living in dream. Those wake-up calls were always the most violent and undesired ones.

Sasuke turned towards her and tried to smile, but couldn't quite pull it off. She knew that all he wanted was to go to bed and hope that when they woke up in the morning, Shikamaru and the others would be alive and well and this whole day was nothing but a bad, bad dream. Oh how she wanted that exact same thing. To kiss her precious children good night and snuggle in his warmth till morning came and erased her anxiety and her fears....

"Duty calls," his voice shook her out of her exhaustion enhanced musings and she met his equally tired eyes, pleading without knowing what she was asking.

He caressed her face with one hand while the other nimbly undid the knot that held his mask secured on his belt. Craning his head down he kissed her softly and sweetly, cradling her cheek in his hand. She kissed him back just as gently, quietly conveying her love for him through the subtle movement of her lips against his.

It ended quickly and she opened her eyes to see him untie his forehead protector and slip it in his weapon pouch, silently covering his face with the white mask with the blue lines and the shape of a snake's face.

Once again the cold, cruel and merciless ANBU captain Sinister Serpent covered all traces of the gentle husband and caring father that was Uchiha Sasuke. With the mask he became another man completely, one that knew that obvious attachments and emotional bonds were a hindrance and had no place on the battle-field. He stopped showing any sign of affection towards anyone with the mask on, the safety of the village and whatever task he would be given became his first and foremost duty.

Before she could think of anything to say, Sasuke squeezed her hand one last time and took a step away from her, motioning for the young chuunin, that stood there doing a very convincing impression of a tomato, to follow him, and took off along the roofs without a single glance back.

Such was the life of a shinobi, sighed Sakura as she watched them disappear into the night. She only hoped the ways of that one shinobi still all led back to her at some point, like before. She knew she needn't worry about that, Sasuke loved her unconditionally and would cheat death to come back to their family, but worry was always the biggest enemy of a wife and mother.

Suddenly she was forced to stop worrying about her husband, as a searing pain shot through her stomach and she gasped. That felt like a contraction, and not six seconds later another hit her. She groaned and slid to the floor. Goodness, it was too early! The baby shouldn't be ready for another four and a half weeks!

But the contractions didn't stop, and not a full minute later Sakura felt her water break and panic filled her. Clutching her stomach and doing her best to breathe, she felt another one coming and took a deep breath.

"SANOSUKEEE!!!"

* * *

**AN: A new story, who would have thought? But as it is a plot bunny bit me in the a** and refused to let go. At first I wanted to make this a long one-shot, but then I just kept getting more and more ideas and the story decided to run away with me... I've already written three chapters, and this one is the shortest, it is just the prologue, after all.**

**So I need you guys to tell me what exactly you think of my little story and if I should make my sister edit the rest of the chapters so that I can post them for you.**

**Please review and let me know if you'd like to see this story grow, oh and if someone is interested I need an editor, for this and a few other stories, I can force my sister to those things only so long, and if I need to re-edit everything after she's been through, it also takes a lot of time, and could influence the posts, since I plan on updating every Sunday. So if anyone would like to help me get this story on its legs and going, please let me know, I'll be forever grateful.**

**Jas  
**


	2. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1

* * *

_

Noise was seeping through the Hokage tower, clear shouts and quieter words, chairs scarping across the wood floor, fists banging on tables. It all spoke that even at almost 2 AM Konoha was far from sleeping.

An hour prior the Godaime Hokage of Konoha, the Legendary Sannin Tsunade-hime has received a letter from her spies in Kumogakure with the horrifying news that the Raikage has decided to declare Konohagakure war. She's immediately gathered everyone of importance for an emergency meeting.

And now Conference Room 1 was full with shinobi, Counselors and Elders alike.

Sitting in the lotus position on her place Tsunade looked around the room at various groups, speaking among themselves, trying to make sense of the unexpected news. In farthest left corner of the room, by the windows, she spotted the four black-clad, masked captains of the ANBU squads. Her eyes lingered on the one in the middle. The Sinister Serpent, Uchiha Sasuke. He was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, nodding occasionally to something that the man on his right was saying. It was Inuzuka Kiba, with a gray-lined dog mask and his dog Akamaru asleep by his legs.

The masked ANBU nin always kept to themselves, in every situation, only in dire emergencies willing to let outsiders get privy to their thoughts and methods that even the Hokage was kept in the dark about.

To Uchiha's left stood Uzumaki Naruto, leaning against the window, hands in pockets, light catching on his orange-hued fox mask, spreading eerie shadows on the painted, grinning visage with sharp teeth and an almost mischievous look in hollow eyes. He too was nodding at whatever the Inuzuka was saying, occasionally turning to glance at the fourth figure standing across from him with the black lined spider mask, Aburame Shino.

Tsunade disliked those masks that hid the expressions on their faces; she was unable to judge what they were thinking. Everything about the ANBU was mystery, they held themselves with a cold, impenetrable air of secrecy, and even their body language betrayed nothing. And she hated that. Heck, she couldn't even judge Naruto! Knoha's number one loud-mouth became another person the moment he slipped that mask over his face. Even Sakura who always voiced her thoughts loud and clear to one's face, kept quite and reserved as soon as the red cat mask was on her face. It was infuriating.

In the middle of the room stood the loudest group, and she noticed that even though she couldn't make out what the ANBU were looking at, she was pretty sure that Uchiha and his comrades were shooting looks at Danzo and the Elders who were in a heated discussion with Hyuuga Hisashi, Haruno Kikyou and Hatake Kakashi. The Hyuuga and Haruno Clans have shown extreme displeasure for the old counselor as it became known that he had had the most fault in the near distinction of the Uchiha Clan.

From the distance she could hear only snippets of the conversation, and it was Sakura's mother that decided to raise her voice as Danzo said something that obviously displeased the two Clan Leaders.

"You're a fool, Danzo!" rung Haruno Kikyou's voice through the room and the other conversations halted to see what had set off the temperamental woman. "Don't think you still have the same power in the council as you did before! The whole village knows that it's been your stupid and cowardly fear of the powerful Uchiha Clan that had led to the deaths of those people! You only remained counselor because the Elders, who have also been in that conspiracy, decided to remind Lady Hokage that they have power over her as well! But don't you dare go thinking that the other Clans and the rest of Konoha shinobi don't know of your deceitful act! Today I can say that I bow my head to the Uchiha brothers! To Uchiha Itachi because he couldn't kill his baby brother, and to Uchiha Sasuke who survived all the trials and nightmares that your cowardly behavior has brought upon him!"

For a moment stunned silence reigned over the room. Danzo blanched and sputtered from the shock, Sasuke had gone rigid and Kiba was calming down Naruto who still had the wish to pummel the old man into the ground. Tsunade for her part wanted to applaud Kikyou who held her pink head proudly, emerald orbs blazing fire at the counselor.

Most eyes were drawn to the small woman in the white and red kimono and Tsunade could see that Shizune, Anko and Kurenai gazed at the older kunoichi with respect in their eyes. The Head of the Haruno Clan had just told what had been burning a hole in everybody's tongue for years. Haruno women were known for their direct 'in-your-face-attitude' and explosive temper.

But Danzo always knew how to make an ass of himself. "You're just talking now because your daughter became the whore of that traitor, Kikyou!"

And that was the proverbial drop that over-flooded the glass. The silence was suffocating for a brief moment before Naruto broke the first shock. "Nobody calls Sakura-chan a whore, you old bastard!" shouted the blonde ANBU and took off to punch Danzo in the same moment as Sasuke drew his katana and lunged for the old man. Tsunade had jumped up from her seat in indignation and Kakashi also looked ready to inflict bodily harm on the counselor, but it was Kikyou that punched him so hard that the old man flew and crashed into a wall.

"Nobody, and I repeat, absolutely nobody, talks like that about MY daughter and lives to tell the tale!" shouted the enraged woman and made a move as to hit the old man again, but Hyuuga Hisashi held her back with a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm yourself, Haruno-sama. Nothing can be achieved by spilling blood. Danzo is a fool who lost the respect of this village a long time ago, and this just proved how foolish he really is. Everybody knows that your daughter is an honorable and respected kunoichi of Konoha and anyone who says otherwise is an idiot. You shouldn't spend your energy on people like Danzo, they never learn from their mistakes, they're hopeless."

Further bodily harm and with that any violent interference by the Hokage were stopped when a young woman burst through the door in full panic-mode.

All attention was suddenly drawn to the intruder whose white face and panicky eyes betrayed that whatever news she was bringing it won't be good. But despite that knowledge only a few tried to figure out who she was before she spoke. One of those few was Sasuke, whose eyes scanned the young woman from under his mask.

She was dressed in the cream uniform most of the field-medics under Sakura's command wore, full with gloves and an ANBU mask strapped to her waist, only the lack of the customary head-covering Sakura's squad wore betrayed that she was still merely an apprentice and not a full fledged ANBU medic.

It was the Slug Princess that finally lost her patience and relived everyone of their curiosity. "What do you want?" snarled the blonde Hokage non too friendly and the young medic stiffened before regaining her wits and concentrated on relaying her message as most probably ordered.

"Hokage-sama, I come straight from the hospital! One of my sempai sent me to inform Uchiha-sama that our shishou, Sakura-sama has gone into premature labor! She's losing blood too fast and the medics beg for Hokage-sama's assistance to try and save Sakura-sama and the baby's life!"

This time the shock and silence were short lived as Sasuke stormed out of the room at full speed, closely followed by the Hokage, Sakura's mother, Kakashi and Naruto who all wasted no time to be there for the one they all loved and cherished.

Only Shizune slowed down and let the young apprentice keep up with her to interrogate her on what happened to Sakura to cause such changes in her condition in less than twenty four hours. Unfortunately the young medic didn't know any details, only that Sakura's eldest son has raised alarm in the neighborhood that had caught the attention of one of the chuunin watch guards, who in turn has alarmed the ANBU medic squad. Shortly after that Sakura had been brought in the ER with constant contractions and terrible pain. Seven of the ANBU medics Sakura herself considered the best in Konoha have immediately jumped to help their captain, but were short of capitulating to the helplessness and sent her to tell the Hokage to hurry or it could be too late for both, mother and child.

After that Shizune had picked up the speed, knowing that Tsunade would probably need her help and left the apprentice to eat her dust. When she finally reached the hospital's ER she spotted Sakura's mother anxiously starring at the red light blaring above the door to one of the OP rooms, Naruto pacing up and down, Kakashi leaning against a wall with a worried look in his one visible eye and Sasuke sitting next to Sakura's mother, squeezing the woman's hand and banging his mask against his knee.

With one more look in Kakashi's direction, Shizune disappeared behind the OP doors.

* * *

The situation proved to be worse than Tsunade had originally thought as she'd sped to aid her favorite apprentice. Sakura was delirious with pain, fighting unconsciousness like only a Haruno can, with the help of the two individual minds she possessed. Unfortunately the more stable one, Outer Sakura had already succumbed to the blood loss, and Inner Sakura, though considered the stronger personality was also more open towards helplessness in dire situation. And that meant that her usually strong-minded and composed student was crying her eyes out, begging, threatening, cursing, and pleading to relive her off the pain.

Tsunade couldn't say that she understood what Sakura was going through. She's never had a child and didn't know what it feels like to have one almost ripping through your body in order to get out. Dan had died far too early and after him she'd considered no man worth her attention and love, and frankly she was just scared of losing someone again.

But, and she swore she'll make Kakashi – or worse yet, Jiraiya – the next Hokage if she should fail her student that was like her own daughter in so many aspects, she would save her, no matter what. Sakura and the next Uchiha would both live, if she had to give up the sake for it, she would.

Within twenty minutes she and Shizune have managed to calm Sakura's heart-beat, force Inner Sakura back into the depths of Sakura's mind – it was simply too dangerous otherwise, Sakura's alternate self just wasn't stable enough to handle that kind of ordeal – and were now transfusing blood into their comatose patient whose only living signs were her heart-beat and the panicked chakra of the unborn boy who had for some reason gone into shock and managed to knock out his mother. Oh, yes that was one hell of an Uchiha boy.

Tsunade had long ago recognized and admitted that Sakura was a genius on the medical field and when it came to different aspects of manipulating one's chakra, and Sakura had continued to amaze her shishou every time she came up with something new to make Konoha the medically most advanced of the Hidden Villages. The Uchiha matriarch had namely been experimenting with the influence of chakra on the human blood, and found out that if she planted tiny chakra seeds into the blood before transfusion, she could use the magnet effect chakra had to make the blood flow faster through the veins and therefore significantly increase the chances of surviving after severe blood-loss.

That was what Shizune was doing at that very moment; she's infused a bottle of blood with her own chakra before transfusing the blood in Sakura's veins, after that came the hard part. One had to be able to control one's chakra with the utmost precision and be able to sense the tiny chakra implements in the blood to pull off this technique. Shizune was concentrating chakra in her finger-tips and searching for the same chakra she's infused in Sakura, using the magnet effect identical chakra had to make the blood follow her lead from outside and flow to Sakura's heart faster. It was extremely tiring and cost the user large amounts of chakra, but it was also the only way to save Sakura and the baby.

Half an hour later Shizune had managed to return Sakura's blood amount to normal and the young woman was out of immediate life-danger. Shizune, however, has blacked out due to exhaustion and chakra depletion.

Tsunade had through the blood transfusion kept an eye on the progress of the opening of Sakura's womb and wasn't pleased. The boy wanted out as fast as possible, but Sakura wasn't open enough. If they let him continue trying to come out he'd tear Sakura apart and Tsunade feared she won't be able to heal that amount of damage. Sakura was open about four, four and a half centimeters, and to give normal birth she'd have to be open at least ten centimeters. There was no other way; Tsunade would have to perform a Cesarean.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the waiting room, Naruto had, upon Kakashi's insistence, sat down, and Sasuke had taken over the pacing. Sakura's mother was wringing her hands and Kakashi was trying no to bash the Uchiha upside the head or comment that he was making him dizzy with all the pacing.

But knowing Sasuke, the younger man probably wouldn't have listened anyway and just continued the preferred action of walking up and down the short length of the small, stuffy waiting room.

All four were concerned for their daughter, friend and wife, all four were irritable and Kakashi had the feeling that even the slightest annoyance could set the Uchiha in a murderous rage, so he simply kept quite. His self-preservation instincts have always been excellent.

Sasuke's mind, on the other hand, was working a mile a minute. He just couldn't bring himself to stop thinking. _'What's happening with Sakura? Is she going to be alright? Please, don't let her die... What about the baby? Oh please, oh please, don't let anything happen to them. The children! Where are the children?! I have to go home now! They're probably scared and alone and--- Ino! That's right, Ino's with them! I have to concentrate on Sakura now! I have to believe that she'll be alright. Of course she'll be alright! We're talking about Sakura here, she's the strongest woman there is! I just have to trust in her. Yes, trust in your wife, Uchiha! Oh, God! I hate this situation!_ _Sakura, please be okay!'_

So, to say that he was worried would be the understatement of the century. He was going insane worrying, among other things...

_'If Sakura doesn't make it alive out of there, people are going to die! I'll make the massacre of the Uchiha Clan seem like a child's game! I'll kill the entire Village! I wonder if they'd make a class higher than S for a criminal like me if I ended up killing an entire village? An entire shinobi village at that? Hmm, okay, I'm clear on the revenge part, now I need to make a promise to keep for God to save her. Some sort of resolution. Let's see... Maybe I could stop calling Naruto a dobe? ...Nah, impossible! I could never keep that promise! Well, I could try and stop being sarcastic...? Who am I kidding? I was born sarcastic! Aha! I know! I'll fulfill Sakura's wish! I'll tell her that I love her every day! Yes, that's it! So God, if you hear me, keep Sakura alive and I'll tell her that I love her every day! And if I don't than you can take away my sharingan!' _

Apparently satisfied with himself, Sasuke nodded and sat down next to Naruto, occasionally glaring at the OP door, as if willing it to open and for his wife to come out and tell them that it was all a joke and she was alright, or that it had been someone else and the young apprentice was simply stupid. He knew that wasn't possible, but still, he could hope. However, Sakura was never one to pull such a joke, that was Naruto's forte, and really no apprentice of hers would be so stupid as if to make a typical Naruto mistake.

He just wished someone would come out and tell him what was going on with her! He hated feeling so helpless!

* * *

It was almost 6 AM when Tsunade finally exited the OP room. She was covered in blood, exhausted and wanted nothing but a bottle of hot sake and her bed. But that would have to wait. The waiting room was full. Instead of Sasuke, Kikyou, Kakashi and Naruto being the only ones there, she found them, the Uchiha children, Ino, Tenten and their kids, too. It was safe to say that she would have been in danger had she not brought good news.

As soon as the beautiful Hokage came out the door, an onslaught of anxious friends and family of her patient pounced on her and stared. At least they weren't bombarding her with questions. She sighed and smiled lightly at them.

"Sakura is going to be alright. Her own technique that she worked for two years on perfecting saved her. The baby boy is born, he's small and very light, but he's perfectly healthy, you don't have to worry anymore. As soon as Sakura wakes up and the small one can be taken from the chakra crib, you can take them home, Sasuke. Today afternoon, at the very latest."

She didn't have the energy to wait for their response and simply walked around them and disappeared around the hall, she needed rest, a lot of it.

Sasuke and the others didn't notice, their attention was drawn to a pale Sakura asleep on the hospital bed and a small, pink, wrinkly baby wrapped in a blue blanket behind the glass of the chakra crib.

Sakura's children rushed to their mother, crowding around her bed, speaking in hushed tones, happy that their Mommy was going to be alright. Sasuke stood in the doorway, unable to move, staring with glassy eyes at his young wife that he'd almost lost and the small creature that was his son beside his wife's bed. He couldn't decide if he wanted to laugh or weep. He was so happy that they both came out seemingly unscathed from the ordeal, but the fear that had taken a grip of his heart when he first heard of what was happening to his wife and child still didn't let go entirely. He was still afraid that something had gone awry and he would lose them both in the blink of an eye.

But he couldn't ponder on those thoughts for long. Anzu had made her way to him and her tiny hand was tugging on his pant leg. Sasuke looked down and smiled at his daughter. She grinned back at him, a huge, sunny smile complete with tiny little, pearly teeth and gaps where more would be coming.

"Daddy, look! Little bwothew is soooo small! Look, look, Daddy!"

He smiled at her again and picked her up in his arms, entering the room for the first time and going over to his wife's bed. He bent over the crib, with little Anzu still in his arms and marveled at the tiny body of his youngest son as he slept comfortably and warmly, bathed in the soothing green glow of healing chakra. He was so tiny, so beautiful, so perfect, Sasuke mused as Anzu chattered away in his arms, pointing her small finger to her brother from time to time, saying how 'pwetty' and 'adowable' he was.

Setting his daughter on the ground, Sasuke looked one more time at his son, before turning to Sakura's bed. He went the two remaining steps and stood directly at her bedside, looking at her. Drinking in her pale, but beautiful features, disheveled hair and the slight rise and fall of her chest, he bent to his knees and took her hand, squeezing it gently, thanking whatever god he could think of that she was still alive and that she would wake up any moment and smile at him again.

Knowing that Sasuke needed time alone with his wife to come over the shock and compose himself again, Kikyou gently ushered the children out of the room and Ino and Tenten dragged Naruto and Kakashi out as well, closing the door, giving the two lovers some privacy.

Sensing that he was alone, Sasuke finally let go of his guard and sagged against Sakura's bed, tearing down the walls he always built around himself, freeing his feelings. And he wept, wept in desperation he felt when he knew he couldn't do anything to help the woman he loved and the son he hasn't met, wept in fear that he would be forced to live without her, wept in relief when he found out that they were alright, wept in happiness that he could still hold her and their son, kiss them, tell them how much he loved them.

Warm tears slid down his cheeks and landed on Sakura's hand he still cradled in his both, his whole powerful frame shook with silent sobs as he let himself feel everything he'd repressed in the long hours when he trembled and waited.

But he couldn't cry for long on the doorstep of happiness. After a few minutes he heard a hitch in Sakura's breathing and felt a small warm hand on his hair. Instantly he looked up and saw weary but still shiny emerald orbs gazing back at him. Her pale, small hand left his hair and rested on her stomach as they looked their fill of each other. No words in the world could describe the feelings that coursed through him as she smiled lightly at him. Overcome with almost delirious happiness, he stood up, only to sit down beside her and take her, gently and carefully in his arms. He rained kisses over her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, her nose, her mouth, her chin. She giggled lightly and he stopped, resting his forehead against her, rubbing their noses gently together. Tears filled his eyes again as he drank her in, promising to never, ever come so close to losing her again.

"I love you, I love you so much," he whispered out softly, his breath tickling her lips. She just smiled brilliantly at him.

"Why?" he almost laughed at her amused question, knowing that she was as happy as he was in that moment.

"Because you're my life, my everything, because without you I wouldn't have a reason to wake up in the morning and live through the day."

This time her smile was watery, "I love you too, Sasuke-kun."

And he did laugh, "Why?"

"Because you're my heart, my soul, my whole world and beyond..."

A gentle and loving kiss was all he answered, and every answer she needed.

* * *

**AN: Here's chapter 1! I decided to post earlier, and there's a little change of plans, I'll update every Monday and not every Sunday, due to some circumstances where I work whole day Sundays and have Mondays free.**

**So chapter 2 will come the next Monday, not the one coming up now, the next one, the 25th.**

**Well tell me what you think so far, please review!**

**Jas  
**


	3. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2

* * *

_

**Here comes the second chapter. Well, first I have to disappoint you if you were expecting something to happen. Nothing's going to happen, sorry. This is a filler chapter. The flashbacks will serve a purpose in the future, don't worry, and there will be many more in this story, I do plan to explain just how Sasuke and Sakura came together and how he returned to Konoha. **

**The third son is a tribute to my favorite 'Nana' character, if you've read that fabulous manga, you'll know who I'm talking about.**

**Well than, enough of my blabber, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**

Holding his wife close with a sense of false security that came with being near a loved one despite the danger looming over your head, Sasuke had a lot time to think about everything that has ever confused him. Most of those things were explained by this time in his life, but some questions still remained. Some would never be answered.

He remembered how his brother had once ended up in the hospital after an S-class mission. Itachi had been ten and his mother was hysteric. He'd loved his brother abnormally in those days, but a mother's devotion had still surprised him.

**FLASHBACK**

_"Mommy, Mommy, why are you crying?"_

_"Because I'm worried about your brother, Sasuke-kun, and glad that he's back home..."_

_"But.... Mommy, Aniki is ok; the doctor said we could take him home... You don't have to cry anymore..."_

_"I'm relived, Sasuke-kun. I'm happy that my little boy is alright, that's why I'm crying. Those are tears of happiness, baby."_

_"Tears of happiness? Why would you cry if you're happy, Mommy?"_

_"You'll understand that one day, baby. When you're so happy that tears just come to your eyes because you feels your worries and fears melt away and your heart is open and full."_

_"Okay.... Mommy, is Daddy happy, too? That Aniki is alright?"_

_"Of course he's happy, baby. Why do you ask?"_

_"Because he's frowning, and he was yelling at the man that brought Aniki here. Why isn't he crying like you?"_

_".... Well baby, your Daddy is not a man that cries easily. I've never seen him cry, not even once. Some men do cry at occasion. Like your uncle Hiro when your cousin Hanna was born, do you remember? He was happy, so he cried. But your Daddy is a very proud and hard man, he doesn't show his feelings easily. He sometimes says that emotions are weaknesses, but that's not true. Your Daddy is simply not good at showing them. So he frowns and yells at people to cover how he really feels."_

_"......"_

_"Mikoto, you really think you've gotten me figured out, don't you? You silly woman."_

**END FLASHBACK**

That was the first time he's seen his parents kiss. His father wasn't a man to display his affection openly; even to the woman he obviously loved more than life itself. He was just like that. When he was small, Sasuke that thought that it was natural for married people to behave like his parents did. His father rarely touched his mother openly, if ever, than only to hold her hand, or lay a hand on her shoulder or waist on occasion, but that was it. Before Itachi ended up in the hospital he's never seen any sort of intimacy between them, and never again after that.

Now that he thought of it, his father may have never displayed his love for his mother physically in public, but the looks and gestures he couldn't read back then were as plain as day now. Fugaku has often looked at his wife with the utmost care and gentleness, even if he didn't caress her with his hands when they both seemed to want it, his look of love was enough for Mikoto. There were the looks of devotion, he could only read now when he had a wife he loved more than anything, and sometimes the bedroom eyes, Sasuke wished he couldn't now understand or remember. But those looks also explained the noises often heard from their bedroom. Oh, ewwww... He really should stop thinking about it.

He stirred from his thoughts when Sakura shifted a bit in his embrace and lay her head on his chest. His arms tightened around her waist as he opened his eyes and looked around the semi darkness of the hospital room. He knew that he would have to get up and leave at some point, but he didn't feel like leaving his still weak and exhausted wife and new born son alone, not even under the care of the best medics in the village that Sakura had personally taught, not even under the care of the Godaime herself.

He'd always been like that, every time Sakura wasn't her usual violent and cheery self, he got overprotective. When she'd been pregnant with Sanosuke he'd refused to let her work when he'd found out, and she was only three weeks along. Let's conclude that chapter with saying that his wife threw worse temper tantrums when pregnant than when on PMS.

The day Sanosuke was born, April 12, and 12:02 in the afternoon, he'd been coming back from a mission when a little slug had brought him the message. His teammates were left to eat his dust and he'd broken the village's speed record of the last fifty years. That was also the day he found out that Sakura's temper was at its worst when she was giving birth. The Hokage attributed it to the immense pain the process entailed, but his broken fingers and crushed ego said something else. Only Sakura can deplete his ego entirely in a matter of seconds. He'd really thought she'd never let him touch her again, he'd been afraid to kiss her when it was over.

He was also disappointed, greatly so. He'd been present for the birth of each of his children, he'd held Sakura's hand (his was always broken by the time the baby was finally out, both had been broken when she was giving birth to Momoko and Tomoyo, they have a two hours age difference), pumped her with his chakra and learned that she didn't mean all the things she said. Be it that she hated him, that it was his fault she was in such pain, that he should be there and not her, that it was not fair that he got to have fun and she ends up with the pain, or that she'll rip his balls off and stuff them down his throat if he tries to touch her again, she never meant anything and always apologized with a sheepish smile afterwards.

But he'd not been there to see the birth of his youngest son, he didn't hold her hand only to get it broken by her insane strength, he couldn't pump her with his chakra to ease some of her pain, he couldn't cut the cord, he wasn't on the receiving end of her threats and insults. And that hurt, it hurt more than he could describe. He could have been left without her and wouldn't have been able to see her and be with her in those last moments. He hadn't been there for her when the baby's chakra had overpowered her own and caused havoc on her body. She was alone for the whole gruesome ordeal and once again he was left feeling like the day he's been forced to kill his brother and weep over a loss nobody else understood.

He felt like crying again.

* * *

The next day Sasuke and Sakura took their new born baby back home.

It was the first time that they'd been kept in the hospital for longer than 6 hours after giving birth; it was also the first time that they were undecided on a name.

One would think that Sasuke'd have the name by the time he knew the gender of the baby, but after two sons and three daughters they simply didn't know what to do. Add to that the shock of the early birth and the possibility of mother and baby dying, it just slipped their minds. They only remembered when Naruto caught up on them exiting the hospital.

"So Sakura-chan, can I be godfather again? Sanosuke-kun and Anzu-chan turned out fabulous, if I may say so myself. And what's the little guy's name?" he bent down to grin at tiny boy in the dark blue carrier Sakura held. "Hmm? What's your name, buddy? Tell uncle Naruto... Hmm?" The baby – predictably – made some gurgling noises that amused Naruto to no end. "Oh, you're so cute!" Then he turned his attention back to Sakura. "So what did you name him? There're only so many names that can end on '-suke' and not sound completely dumb, you know!"

She and Sasuke had shared a look before explaining to their loud-mouthed friend that the baby was still unnamed. Naruto had been amused to say the least. And had gotten Sasuke to break his head trying to find a name ending on '-suke', to fit their pattern. She didn't even know they had a pattern. But Ino had later pointed out that the boys had names fitting to Sasuke and the girls had all, like Sakura, flower names. Funny that neither of them had paid that little detail any attention.

Naming the boys Sanosuke and Shinosuke felt natural to both Sasuke and Sakura, and since Sasuke had left it to Sakura to decide the names for their daughters, she'd chosen Momoko for the elder twin based on the pink hair and the fact that peach blossoms were also pink, and chosen Tomoyo because the younger twin had dark pink, in the right light almost purple hair, it just fit. And Anzu, well when Naruto had seen the baby a few hours after birth, he'd exclaimed, "Her face looks like an apricot!" The decision had been out of her hands, really.

So why was it so hard to give their youngest son a name?

* * *

It was already evening as Sasuke entered his house with a soft "Tadaima." Taking off his shoes, he prepared for the onslaught of tiny hands attached to tiny bodies and five voices calling out 'Daddy!' and firing thousand questions without pause at him. The usual welcome from his children, while his wife stood by and smiled at his bewildered face.

And they asked the most random questions just after asking things like where do babies come from – their favorite question when they found out that Mommy was pregnant – and how do you slit a throat without getting soaked with blood – that had freaked him out and Naruto was found half dead the next day.

But he was already stepping on the hardwood floor when he figured that nothing had happened. No one had run into him, there were no hands attached to his legs and waist and there were no hopeful little faces staring at him after one of them had asked a pecurial question that interested them all. The hallway was empty and quiet.

Telling himself not to panic, Sasuke walked further in the house. First was the living room, the lights were on; toys and picture-books were spread about the floor and the couches, along with some of Sakura's medical scrolls. He paid those things no heed and headed for the kitchen. Dinner time has not yet come, and he took the liberty to look into some of the pots that were making gurgling noises on the stove. The food should soon be ready, but still no trace of his family.

He opened the back door that lead to the garden where the children often played and Sakura usually sat on the veranda, keeping an eye or them while reading, but nothing again, save a few insects fluttering along the lit lamps. He went upstairs next, checked his and Sakura's bedroom, it was empty, Sanosuke's too, as well as the rooms of the girls and Shinosuke's. The last room he checked had always been empty, but there was a muted light filtering under the door.

He inched the door open and peeked in. Sakura had made it into a nursery. At the far end, under the window, stood a beautiful, white antique crib – his own, he remembered – above it light feathery curtains allowed the moon to shine on the small face of his son. The small night-light in the corner gave of a soft green glow. Smiling slightly, Sasuke closed the door, not wanting to wake the little boy up, he needed his sleep.

Deciding that he wasn't going to find his wife and kids in any of the other rooms there, he returned downstairs and ventured deeper into the house.

He passed his study when he heard Momoko's voice. It came from the library. "Mommy, Mommy, how about this?" There was some shuffling, before he heard Sakura. "Hmmm, nice. But that's not it. Look for more, Momoko-chan." What were they doing in there?

Not bothering to knock, or anything, Sasuke slid the door open and looked inside.

There was his wife, sitting in an armchair with a large old book on her lap, Sanosuke was perched on a ladder, reaching for a book on a high shelf, Momoko and Tomoyo sat on the floor with books spread out before them, and Shinosuke and Anzu were sitting in their grandmother's lap also looking at a book.

His wife looked up at the sound of the door and smiled at him, "Okaeri, Anata."

He smiled back at her and was about to ask what they were doing when his mother-in-law interrupted him, "Sakura dear, why don't you name the boy after your father? He would have loved that."

Haruno Kisho, Sakura's father and the late Head of the Haruno Clan, Sasuke had never known the man personally, but he'd heard a lot about him. He remembered his father once mentioning what a powerful genjutsu user Haruno had been, he'd also been the jounin sensei of Kurenai who'd taken after him in her jutsu of chioce. He'd died young; Sasuke could remember that day well. It had been before the Chuunin Exams. They were training when Kurenai had come to get Sakura, she'd been in tears. Later they'd found out that he'd been killed by a group of rouge nin on his way back from a mission. The genjutsu master of Konoha was dead.

**FLASHBACK **

_Weapons littered the grass of the training ground seven, as Sasuke and Naruto pounded away at each other with abandon, not caring if they burned away the threes or killed birds in their haste. They also stayed unresponsive to Kakashi's suggestions to 'take it easy'._

_A few feet away from their clashing kunai and whizzing shuriken, said sensei was sitting cross-legged under a big tree, directly across from him their pink-haired teammate who was deep in concentration, chakra swirling around her in waves. Kakashi was trying to teach her advanced genjutsu with his limited knowledge on the subject. It wasn't going well. Despite Sakura's natural affinity with this particular form of jutsu and her flawless chakra control, Kakashi just couldn't offer her enough pointers for her to grasp the jutsu completely. As it was she'd tried her far-from-perfect results on Naruto and had knocked the blond Kyuubi-vessel out instead of transferring his mind in a imagined reality. She really needed a better teacher for those kinds of things, mused Sasuke as Sakura threw another tantrum and bonked Naruto on the head, waking him up. This time she'd put him to sleep._

_Their training session was interrupted by a fragrant poof of smoke and the arrival of Kurenai, the teacher of Team 8. The three genin and their sensei didn't pay the woman's redder than usual eyes and tear-smeared face any mind. Kakashi sported a lazy smile as he stood to greet her._

_"Kurenai, what a surprise. To what do we owe the pleasure of your impromptu visit?"_

_Kurenai ignored him and turned to Sakura who was berating Naruto to stop whining about the blow she'd dealt to his head only seconds ago._

_"Sakura-chan..."_

_Sakura dropped her scowl and turned to the beautiful crimson eyed jounin._

_"Yes, Kurenai-sensei?"_

_Kurenai's face scrunched up and a few tears escaped her eyes. "Sakura-chan, you need to come to the hospital with me..."_

_Sakura titled her head to the side and gazed in confusion at Kurenai's tears, "Why the hospital, sensei?"_

_Kurenai was crying in earnest now._

_"Sakura-chan, you father..." she trailed off, unable to say anymore, but Sakura understood her._

_"Daddy?!" and Sakura took off in the direction of the village, Kurenai close behind her. Kakshi seemed to need some more time to grasp the situation before he turned to his other two students._

_"Come kids, to the hospital it is. I wonder if Kisho broke his leg this time, or something. Kurenai thinks of that man as a god and is prone to overreacting to his sometimes reckless behavior._

_But what they found at the hospital was not a laughing Clan Leader with a broken leg and a fussing Kurenai. _

_In a single room on a cot lay a body, cowered in a sheet, blood seeping through it, Sakura on her knees next to it, sobbing and wailing. Two ANBU medics were talking in hushed tones to a beautiful green-eyed, pink-haired woman in a red kimono with the white circle of the Haruno Clan on the back. She, too, was crying. Two kunoichi dressed in the Clan colors were on the either side of the crying woman, in full battle gear complete with swords hanging from their waists. Bodyguards, Sasuke thought, as one of them knelt down and disappeared as the woman who he supposed was Sakura mother whispered an order to her._

_He'd never seen Sakura so sad and broken before._

**END OF FLASHBACK **

It is his wife's voice that breaks through his memory-hazed mind as she responds to her mother.

"No, Mom. Daddy was an amazing person, a great father and an even better shinobi, and while these traits are what I wish for all my sons, I do not intend to put that kind of pressure on him. I don't want him to grow up to tales of the man whose name he inherited, feeling that he has to live up to some expectations or other. I know how hard it is to live up to one's name. To this day I'm struggling to be like grandmother had been. I don't want that for my child."

Haruno Sakura II, his wife's grandmother had been one of the legendary Konoha nin that have proven themselves as geniuses in the Great Shinobi Wars. History books write that the woman had single-handedly taken out an entire enemy army. Her genjutsu techniques have yet to be bested and her brute power makes even the Godaime's legendary strength pale in comparison. And his wife had to live up to that woman, not an easy task.

"Actually, I have found a good name for our son," he spoke up from the doorway, turning their attention to himself. Sakura smiled at him and Lady Haruno – he still had problems addressing her as anything else, that woman was scary – cocked a professionally tweezed eyebrow.

"Well, do speak up, son. It's high time that boy gets a name."

Yup, not even his father had managed to make him feel so small in comparison.

"Shinichi," he said shortly, but his gaze stayed on his wife. Kikyou would probably think he was disrespecting her or something, but he had problems looking a woman that looked exactly like his wife in the face.

"Shinichi," smiled Sakura. "Shin-chan for short. I like it, it's perfect. Arigatou, Anata."

And thus Uchiha Shinichi would be the name of a boy destined for greatness.

* * *

**AN: And that was the second chapter, I hope you like it and will review. **

**Thank for all your feedback so far, it made me very happy.**

**The next chapter comes February 1****st****, till then please have fun with this and review!**

**Love,**

**Jas**


End file.
